MORNING BULLETIN: FF say Varadkar 'gunning' for election on back of referendum win; Irish Water warns hosepipe ban could be extended

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IRELAND: Fianna Fáil are preparing for an election as early as September, with the party convinced Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is “gunning” to go to the polls.

IRELAND: A hosepipe ban is now in operation in the Greater Dublin area as Irish Water calls urgently on the public to conserve water.

IRELAND: Newborns, like red wine, thrive best at room temperature, but conditions at the country’s newest maternity hospital have been distinctly inhospitable in recent days.

IRELAND: Ireland’s bid to gain a seat on the United Nations Security Council got off to a rocking start as more than 190 ambassadors were guests of Ireland at U2’s sold-out show at Madison Square Garden in New York last night.

WORLD: Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has claimed victory in Mexico’s presidential election, calling for reconciliation after what he called a “historic day”.

ANALYSIS: The tribunal’s inquiries into the veracity of former Garda press officer David Taylor’s statement that he was ordered to negatively brief reporters about Maurice McCabe have uncovered much ire towards the whistleblower.

SPORT: A composed second-half display from Cork saw them retain their Munster SHC title as they put Clare to the sword for the second year in a row and the second time this summer.

... SOME DISTRACTION

SHOWBIZ: Cheryl and Liam Payne have announced that they have split up. The singers said they were "going our separate ways" in nearly identical posts to their 40 million Twitter followers.

FEATURE: Parents must first be kind to themselves if they are to be able to show compassion and love for their children.

VIRAL: Whether it be displaying their hunting prowess, or acting in a human-like fashion, Reddit users have been sharing stories of intelligent animals they have encountered.